I love the time I spend in Lahore and learn more about the culture every day.

Mickey Arthur

Categorized in : Day Culture Love Time

What you know is what you know, both culturally and practically, and you use it to the greatest effect you can.

greatest know you use

For Pakistan cricket to stay relevant and strong, the best players have to be available all the time - it's a challenge faced by everyone, but one that particularly relates to us because of our mainly amateur, pretty random, and certainly too thinly spread domestic structure that feeds the national team.

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I have to say that I have developed a real passion for Pakistan cricket.

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Pakistan is a great team to be a part of and to see the emergence of young players is exciting.

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People think that South Africa and Australia are culturally similar but, having worked in both environments, I found that theory to be untrue.

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When I took charge of Pakistan, I stopped and had a look from the outside before making any judgement calls. I got used to the culture because I think that is so important. For you to move a team forward as a coach, you have to understand the culture.

look you team culture

As head coach, I try to give clear role clarity, instil structure and create an environment in which players can excel.

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I have high expectations from Babar Azam and Imam-ul Haq.

high high-expectations expectations

Team is all about vision, goal and ambition... It's about wanting to be the best you can be as a group.

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England's full of cricket tradition. I follow the game there hugely.

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It is important to challenge your major players. You need to keep them on their toes but there are ways of doing that. Sometimes you have to be a shoulder to cry on. You can't be constantly at them.

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A good coach will come in ra, ra, ra and rejig the whole set-up. That might work for a year or 18 months but isn't sustainable. A great coach has the ability to get the best out of his players without the ra, ra, ra stuff.

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Coaching England is a huge job, and no ambitious coach would rule himself out completely.

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It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it's a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation, and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We've all been there.

lose game you world

We are trying to create a culture of excellence. To create that culture has been tough. It hasn't been there in Pakistan cricket for a while - whether that is cultural or a product of the environment, I am not sure.

i-am cricket excellence culture

When I lost the job with Cricket Australia, I almost felt I had unfinished business to do. I felt that my reputation with South Africa and internationally had been very good. And then you lose your coaching job, it is tough. It kept me three years out of it.

good me you business

I enjoy seeing young players given the opportunity and then perform and go on to have fulfilling careers.

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Sometimes I look at myself and think: have I been too hard in terms of pushing and challenging the players? But I only think about that for five minutes and then I say I am doing okay because they need to be pushed and challenged.

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I'll never forget Cricket Australia telling me I was too soft and I'd been too soft with the team... I kind of didn't know what they wanted.

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I had a meeting with Umar Akmal and discussed exactly where I thought he was. We are looking at the skillset that he brings to the Pakistan team. Obviously, he is a very intelligent player but he knows that he has to conform. He knows that he has got to pass the fitness standards that are required of him.

looking thought team fitness